Lily in a Snake Pit
by quinnchisnall07
Summary: Lily Potter always felt... different. She didn't want to be just like her family. But she had never expected Slytherin. During 7 years, Lily fell for the nemesis of her family, became a Gryffindor Slytherin and became a prodigy. *Okay so the title & summery are crappy but I think the writing is much better :) *
1. Chapter 1

BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.

Lily Luna Potter shot up out of her bed, and leapt onto the group. She turned off her alarm, and rushed into her parents' bedroom. Her father stirred as she entered the room, and her mother sat up, wand in hand, as Lily jumped on the bed. "Lil, honey, its 7:00 in the morning." Ginny Potter mumbled, as her husband sat up. Ginny tucked her wand back under her pillow case, and Lily sat back sheepishly. "But Mum, today is the day!" She squealed quietly, and she heard a laughing sound coming from her father's side of the bed. Harry Potter, the Chosen One, sat up in his bed, and ruffled his only daughter's hair. "Give the girl a break Gin. I remember being this excited on my first day at Hogwarts."

Ginny scoffed, but smiled and lent onto her husband, as Lily crept over to them. "I'm so excited! I'm going to Hogwarts!" She squealed, and Lily heard a moan from the door as her parents laughed. "D'ya have to be so noisy on a Monday morning sis? I was fast asleep." Albus groaned from the door, and Lily pouted slightly as her father rolled his eyes. "Albus Severus Potter, you were equally excited two years ago, so watch yourself. And besides, you haven't finished packing yet, so I'd thank Lily if I were you." Albus spluttered, but he was drowned out as James Sirius Potter walked into the room laughing. "Poor lickle Al. Dad's right, you were just as annoying on your first day. I, however, was cool as a cucumber."

Lily giggled as Ginny laughed behind her. "James, on your first day at Hogwarts, you unpacked your trunk about eight times, and I had to apparate back five minutes before the train left because you panicked because you thought you left your wand at home." The whole family laughed as James curtsied, then leapt on the bed besides Lily, wrapping his arms around her. "Excited Lily Lu?" He asked his little sister, and she nodded eagerly. "I can't wait! Hugo and I have been planning all summer!" Ginny narrowed her eyes at her daughter slightly. "Planning what, Lily Luna Potter?" She asked, and Lily's eyes widened, before playing with the edge of her pyjama top. "How to be… the best at Charms?" She said meekly, and the family, including Ginny, laughed. "That better be the truth. Now, who wants pancakes?"

The Potter kids cheered, and Harry laughed, ruffling his daughter's hair once more before kissing his wife on the temple. "I'm going to grab a shower first. I have to be at the office by eleven thirty." He said, and Ginny sighed as Harry walked towards the bathroom. "Seriously? Do they even give you time to say goodbye to your youngest child? Or any of your children?" She asked, remembering back to last Christmas when Harry had to work instead of saying goodbye to Albus and James. Harry smiled slightly, nodding his head at Lily. "They wanted me in at nine, but I told them eleven thirty or not today. My little girl's going to Hogwarts!" Harry disappeared into the bathroom and Ginny shook her head, smiling. "He's got such a soft spot for you Lily." She said, as she walked downstairs towards the kitchen, Albus following her.

James pulled Lily closer to him, and she looked up at him adoringly. James and Lily had always had a special bond, ever since they were younger. Lily was the youngest out of the cousins, so James always favoured her over everybody else. He would choose her first for Quidditch, and if she wasn't on his team, he would cheer her on happily whenever she scored a goal. And in return. Lily adored James, and had a tendency to listen to him better than she listened to her father.

"You're getting bigger Lily Lu. Off to Hogwarts today. You excited?"

"You bet!" Lily grinned, and she bounced off the bed, grabbing James' hand. "Come on Jamie, mums making pancakes!" She squealed happily, and James laughed as he followed her off the bed and down to the kitchen.

"Honey, don't forget to write every day, okay. And if you've forgotten anything, Harry and I will send it to you okay. And send us a letter as soon as you get settled in your dormitory." Ginny smoothed Lily's wavy hair over her shoulders and Harry laughed next to her as Hermione did the exact same thing with Hugo. James rolled his eyes as he hugged his mother goodbye. "Mum, chillax. Al and I will look after her, and we'll send you a letter tonight from Gryffindor common room." Lily fidgeted slightly as soon as James said 'Gryffindor.' Nobody noticed but her Uncle Ron, who levitated her and Hugo's trunks. "How bout I help you and Hugo put your trunks on the train, okay Lils?" he said, and Lily looked at him gratefully whilst the other adults frowned slightly. "Thanks Uncle Ron." Lily said, as she, Ron and Hugo walked towards the train. Ron found them an empty compartment, and helped levitate the trunks onto the rack. Before they got off the train, Ron pulled them back into the compartment.

"Okay you two, what's wrong?"

The cousins paled and looked at each other, both terrified of someone finding out their secret.

"What do you mean Dad?" Hugo asked, feigning a look of innocence. Ron scoffed, but smiled at Hugo's innocent face. "Don't play dumb with me Hu. Your Uncle George and late Uncle Fred both had that false innocence face. Now tell me the truth. Lily flinched when James mentioned Gryffindor, and Hugo, you left the room last night when Rose and Hermione started talking about Gryffindor Tower. What's wrong?"

Lily and Hugo exchanged another look, then both sighed. Lily began to talk as Hugo fidgeted nervously. "What if we aren't put in Gryffindor?" Lily asked, and she felt her eyes burn slightly as Ron patted her on the shoulder, and gave Hugo a one armed hug.

"We don't care what house you're put in. As long as you feel comfortable, we will be happy for you. And you'll always have your cousins and siblings." Ron said, and he pulled the two eleven year olds off the train as more people began to board. "Besides, the sorting hat will listen if you ask it too. Just ask your father Lily. He's only said it a billion times." Ron joked, and the two kids laughed. They both hugged him as they reached their family again. "Thanks Uncle Ron." Lily said, and she left Hugo with his dad as she went to her own family. Dominique Weasley was there now, with her parents, Louis, Victorie and Teddy Lupin.

Lily squealed as she leapt into Teddy's arms and she heard everyone else laughing as he hugged her back. Her god-brother had his own flat now, and didn't stay with the Potters anymore. However, he still came over for tea at least twice a week, more in the summer. Teddy was going through a move, having finally asked Victorie to move in with him. Victorie had graduated Hogwarts in Albus' first year, two years ago. She was the first Weasley-Potter child besides Teddy to move, and Lily's Uncle Bill wasn't happy.

Lily hugged all her family aside from Dominique when she finally detached herself from Teddy. Dominique had a bit of a reputation around Hogwarts as an 'Ice Queen,' and Lily knew that it was to protect Dominique from finding a 'mate' too soon, like she believed Victorie did.

A train whistle sounded, and all the kids began to move towards the scarlet red train. Lily gave her mother one last hug before jumping onto the scarlet red train with Hugo. Before they knew it, the train was whisking them away from Kings Cross and from their parents, and to an unforgettable 7 years.

Lily departed from all of her cousins, who were going to find their friends. She made her way back to her and Hugo's trunks, without Hugo, who was going with Albus and Rose. Unlike Hugo, Lily always felt like she had to prove herself, and a good way to do that would be to make friends. Without her brothers or her dads last name.

When Lily got to their compartment, she entered, and turned to set her owl, Clara, on the table. However, she jumped slightly when she saw four people already sat in the carriage. The older two girls looked at her in surprise and distrust, whilst the younger two smiled at her. Lily smiled nervously back, and decided to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Lily." She said. The oldest looking girl with blonde hair frowned at her slightly, and made a funny noise before leaving. The other three smiled back at her, the other older girl looking apologetic.

"You're Lily Potter, right?" She asked, and Lily sighed and nodded. Great. She had probably walked into a child of one of her father's enemies. Surprisingly, the three in the compartment didn't beat her up. They just smiled at her, and the older one looked thrilled.

"Great! Okay, my names Juliette Goyle! These are my younger siblings, Carter and Pippa. They're in first year like you, but I'm a fourth year, like your brother James. Sorry about JoJo, she has little respect for anyone she doesn't know." Julie smiled as if it was a joke, but Lily knew she wasn't kidding. She also knew who these people were. Their father, Gregory Goyle, was a friend of her father's old nemesis in school, Draco Malfoy.

Juliette hugged her younger siblings tightly, erecting a squirm of embarrassment from them both. She waved at Lily, before rushing away to another compartment. The twins in the compartment stared at Lily, who blushed before the girl, Pippa, smiled at her, seeming equally nervous.

"You can sit down. I mean, if you want to. You can just leave if you want to find some other Gryffindor's'." She said, stumbling over her words slightly. The boy, Carter, smiled and laughed at his sister. "Pippy, chill. If she wants to stay, she'll stay. If she wants to be like her brothers, she can get lost." He said, and Lily frowned slightly. She didn't want to be like her brothers, if her brothers were mean to the Slytherin's. Lily knew the house's reputation, but she had been drilled by her mother that she should judge the people before their houses. She decided to stay, thinking these two first years looked pretty fun.

"Hi. I'm Lily Luna Potter." She said, and stuck her hand out towards Pippa. Pippa grinned, and shook Lily's hand. "Hi Lily, I'm Philippa Serena Goyle, but usually it's just Pippa." She said, and Lily grinned back at her as the two became friends in that moment. Carter, however, was oblivious to what the girls were trying, and flopped back in his chair. "Well I'm Carter Gregory Goyle, and I'm confused."

Lily laughed as Pippa rolled her eyes. "Whatever Carter. So Lily, what house are you aiming for?" She asked, and Lily thought carefully about the answer. She had grown up in a home filled with Gryffindor's, and the first non-Gryffindor were Teddy and Victorie, who were Hufflepuff's. Most of her relatives were Gryffindor, aside from Teddy, Victorie and Lucy who were all Hufflepuff's, and Molly who was a Ravenclaw.

"Don't tell anyone, but I don't think I want to be in Gryffindor." Lily said, and Pippa's eyes widened while Carter smirked. "Why?" He asked, and Lily fiddled with her fingers, looking out at the beautiful scenery of the countryside. "I just, I want to be different. It's hard to stand out when you have three brothers and nine cousins, plus five close family friends in your generation. Most of them are Gryffindor, and a couple of Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's." Carter's smirk became bigger, and a twin smirk grew onto Pippa's face. "Have you ever considered Slytherin?" She asked, and Lily blinked, slightly taken back by the question. "Before now, no. I've always been told that Slytherin was, quote, "an evil snake house that produced dark wizards."" Pippa scoffed and Carter tensed angrily. "Hey, that's our father you're talking about!" Carter said angrily, and Pippa placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Carter, that's just what she's been told. How is Lily to know any better without having seen our side of things?" Pippa turned to Lily with a determined glint in her eyes.

"That's all people ever say about Slytherin house. But they're wrong. You'll see. Did you know, Merlin himself was a Slytherin. And our father told us something about Slytherin house. He told us that people in Slytherin were told they had to be bad, so many of them started believing it. You see, Salazar Slytherin believed in wizardry being kept in the family, so no one aside from pure bloods could be at Hogwarts. But no one ever mention that it was Godric Gryffindor who first proposed that idea."

Lily gasped, unable to help herself. Was that really true? Could the great Gryffindor himself be the cause of the hate against Slytherin house?

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Carter continued, taking over Pippa's story.

"Gryffindor proposed wizardry to be kept in family. Helga Hufflepuff opposed him, believing in accepting everyone who had the ability. It wasn't until Rowena Ravenclaw agreed with her, saying we can learn from non-wizarding families. Gryffindor eventually agreed, but the idea was stuck in Slytherin's head after everything. Besides, Slytherin himself was from a pure-blooded family. All old pure blood families believed separation was for the best."

"They also believed in practicing Dark Magic, according to James and Al."

"Dark magic used to be legal." Pippa countered, and she laughed at the shocked expression on Lily's face. "Wow, you've been sheltered haven't you? Dark Magic used to be legal, before the Unforgivable Curses were created. That's when people started to make some magic illegal."

Lily sat back in her seat, and took in all of what Pippa and Carter just told her. Dark Magic used to be legal? Gryffindor put the ideas of blood purity into Slytherin's head? Her own head spun as she took in all this information. Whilst Lily was thinking, the carriage door slid open, and Juliette Goyle slid back into the compartment. "Hey guys, I just need to grab something from my trunk." She said happily, before pulling her trunk on the table. Juliette opened the case as Lily and Carter began to talk about Quidditch.

As Juliette passed Pippa her book and lifted her trunk back up onto the rack, the compartment door slid open again. This time, it was Lily's older siblings. James, Albus, Rose and Molly Weasley stood at the compartment door, and all four of them frowned at Juliette. She just smiled at them, and took her book from Pippa. "Bye guys! Good luck at your sorting." Juliette flashed a grin at Lily's siblings, flouncing out of the compartment. Molly growled, and the rest of her siblings glared at Juliette's retreating back.

"Come on Lils. We got some of your favourite things from the food trolley. Sugar Quills, your favourite." James said, completely ignoring Pippa and Carter. Lily frowned at James slightly, glancing at her new friends.

"It's okay. Mum gave me some money, I'll just wait until the trolley comes here." James growled in frustration slightly, and Molly stepped forward as Rose laid a hand on his shoulder.

"What he's saying Lily, is you should come sit with your family."

"Why?" Carter asked, and Molly reeled back, not expecting him to talk. Lily glanced at her new friends, shocked to see an identical steel look in her new friends' eyes.

"Because we're her family. You two are just a pair of snake children." Albus spat, and Lily moved away when Rose reached out a hand towards her. "Come on Lily." She urged, but Lily shook her head.

"I think I'm going to stay here thanks." She said icily, and James' eyes widened as Albus' face turned red, the same bright scarlet as Molly and Rose's ears. "No Lily. Come on, now." Albus said, and Lily shook her head.

"I've made some new friends, I'm sitting with Pippa and Carter. Go back to your compartment." She said, and with some hesitation, and many glares, her siblings finally retracted out of the compartment. Lily turned to get a hand in her face. She laughed, and smacked her palm onto Carter's.

"Now, I believe we were discussing the best Quidditch team?"


	2. Chapter 2

Lily and Carter were still arguing over Quidditch teams as the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Pippa sighed as they exited the train, all three of them glad for the fresh air.

"I've seen the Holyhead Harpies a million times. My mum used to play for them, and she's amazing. They're clearly the best team." Lily protested, but Carter just laughed.

"The Montrose Magpies have won almost every game since they gained Kevin Frost as Chaser, and Joey Hancock as Keeper. They're unstoppable!" Carter said, and a boy next to Carter jumped into the conversation.

"Sorry Carter, but little Potter over there is right. Harpies crushed the Magpies in their last match." He said, and Carter frowned at the boy. "Betrayed Travis. I stuck up for you against my psycho sister last month, and this is how you repay me?"

The tanned boy grinned, brushing dark hair out of his eyes. He ignored Carter, but smiled at Lily and Pippa. "Hey there. I heard that the youngest Potter was gonna be in our year. It's Laurel, right?"

"Lily." She corrected. Travis smiled kindly. "Sorry. I'm Travis Zabini. Hey Pip." He said, nodding at Pippa. She smiled back as Lily shook Travis' offered hand. "Hey Travis." Pippa smiled. Travis let go of Lily's hand, and bumped shoulders with Carter. "Where were you dude? Harvey, Nate, Jamie and I were waiting for you." Carter smiled, and performed a handshake with Travis as the first years congregated around Hagrid.

"Sorry bro, I was caught up with Lily and Pippa. We started on Quidditch, and couldn't stop." The boys and Lily laughed as Pippa rolled her eyes. "I know the feeling. It's cool. We'll chat later." Travis said as the boats drew closer. Lily felt herself be pulled away from her new-found friends, and turned to see Hugo standing behind her meekly. "Hey Hu!" Lily grinned, and Hugo smiled at her slightly.

"Hey Lils. I know you've got some other friends, but it was always the plan to ride the boats together to Hogwarts. You still good with that plan?" Hugo asked, and Lily looked back at her friends, biting her lip, but she looked back at Hugo. "Course Hugo. It's been our plan since we were eight."

Hugo grinned, and the two cousins hurried towards the boats. "You grab a boat, I'm just gonna say bye to Pippa, Carter and Travis." Lily said as Pippa waved her over. Hugo watched her go, then turned and gave a thumbs up to James, Albus, Rose and Molly, who were hiding behind the plants. James smiled when he saw them, and turned to his cousins.

"The plan was successful. Hugo got Lils in the boat with him." He said, and her cousins celebrated quietly. "She can't stay friends with those stupid Slytherins." Molly murmured, and Rose and Albus nodded in agreement. "Hopefully Hugo can pull her back in our direction. She'll stick with us if she knows what's good for her." Albus agreed, and James bit his lip nervously. He agreed that Lily belonged in Gryffindor, but was this right? Forcing her? James sighed, and followed his cousins into the carriages.

Lily sighed as she clambered into the boat with Hugo, Tommy Hall and Tanya Hall. Tommy and Tanya were the two children of one of Lily's dad's old Quidditch teammate, Alicia Spinnet and a Ravenclaw named Martin Hall. The four had grown up together, along with the children of their family friends. All four had planned to join Gryffindor when they were younger, but now Lily was regretting those plans.

After talking with Pippa and Carter the entire train ride, Lily had realised how sheltered she had been, and how much her brothers and siblings had kept from her. She turned to Hugo as the boats began to move forward.

"Hugo, just say we weren't in Gryffindor. Say we were in Slytherin. What would happen?" Lily asked, and Hugo frowned at her slightly. "Well, our family probably wouldn't like it. But Grandma will love it. She'll just be happy we made it to Hogwarts." He said, and Lily smiled. "I've just been thinking, what if Gryffindor wasn't right for me? I'm not like the rest of our family." Hugo scoffed. "Yeah, you could say that." Lily frowned at him. "What?" She asked, and Hugo looked up at her.

"What?"

"You just said I'm not like everyone else. How?"

Hugo paled slightly, and looked down into the water. "Just going along with what you said. Hey look, its Hogwarts!" He exclaimed, and Lily broke her gaze away from her cousin.

There it was, the large castle glistening in the moonlight ahead of them. The three tallest towers; Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Astronomy, stood proud and tall, and the Owlery stood out among the grounds, a tall tower. As Lily watched, a number of owls flew inside, settling themselves for the year. The Forbidden Forest rustled and the trees whispered among themselves as the boats approached. Lily and Hugo climbed out of the boats, and they were quickly joined by Pippa, Carter and some other boys.

"Lily, this is Nathan Rosier, but he goes by Nate. And you met Travis." Carter pointed at the two boys, and Lily nodded again at Travis as she checked Nate out. He had muddy brown hair, and dark blue eyes. Lily smiled at the boys, then introduced Hugo.

"Hu, this is Carter Goyle, and that's his sister Pippa. This is Travis Zabini, and that's Nate Rosier as you just heard." Lily smiled, and Hugo nodded nervously at the crowd. As the first years began to follow Hagrid up to the castle, Hugo pulled at the sleeve of Lily's robe.

"I don't think Rose would like us hanging round them. They are Slytherin families after all." He noted, and Lily sighed.

"Look Hu, if you want to go with Tommy and Tanya, fine. But I'm gonna stay with these. Rose doesn't get to dictate who I'm friends with." She said, and Hugo sighed. "Okay. See you later Lils." He said, before hurrying over to Tommy Hall. Lily rolled her eyes as she re-joined Pippa. What a pushover. Pippa linked her arm with Lily's, and smiled as she joined them.

"Okay Lily?" She asked, and Lily nodded, forcing a smile back onto her face. "All good. Just Hugo being a pushover when it comes to Rose." She noted, and Pippa rolled her eyes, much like Lily did. "He'll get over it. We don't need another Gryffindor golden child. According to Juliette, Albus Potter and Rose Weasley act like they rule the school along with Molly Weasley."

Lily smiled. She was going to change that. She wouldn't let her brothers and cousins dictate her every move.

Hagrid knocked on the door, and Neville Longbottom opened the doors, and smile on his face.

"Hey Hagrid." He smiled, and Hagrid moved out of the way of the first years. They began to filter into the Entrance Hall, and Neville smiled at Lily as she walked past him. Lily grinned back at him, thinking about how hard it would be to call him Professor Longbottom. Lily couldn't imagine if her father took the DADA job he was offered. Calling him Professor Potter would just be embarrassing.

Neville closed the door once all the first years were inside. He led them up to the Entrance Hall in silence, but there were occasional whispers of excitement from some of the first years. Lily just smiled, looking at Pippa as they both freaked out internally. Usually the muggleborns were the most excited, according to Lily's family, but Lily was sure everybody was equally excited. Lily had been to Hogwarts three times before, once for Teddy's graduation, once for Victorie's and once to visit James after a nasty Quidditch accident.

Professor Longbottom, as Lily now had to call him, stop the first years just outside the Entrance Hall. "Wait here. I'll be back in a moment." He said, and as soon as he disappeared out of the doors, people began murmuring and laughing. Excitement filled the room as the first years chattered, looking all over the castle. If Lily looked directly up, she could see the many, many staircases moving around above her.

"Amazing, isn't it!" Pippa said next to her, and Lily's face broke into a grin as she looked at her new found friend.  
"It's magical." She murmured, and both girls began to giggle as Professor Longbottom returned at the doors.

"We're ready for you." He said, and he opened the grand doors.

Lily pulled Pippa closer as they began to walk down the aisle in the hall. Lily smiled at her cousins, though oddly most of them frowned at her, and Molly gave an icy glare. Lily tried to ignore it as they all stood before the Sorting Hat, but found it was beginning to nag at her mind. What would happen if she was a Slytherin? She knew they'd accept every house but that one.

Lily watched the Sorting Hat nervously as 'Blishwick, Harvey' approached the stool. She watched as Professor Longbottom place the hat on Harvey's head. It took thirty seconds for the hat to cry out

"SLYTHERIN!"

Lily watched as the Slytherin table erupted in cheers. She heard Pippa hiss happily under her breath, and she saw Carter and Travis Zabini fist bump casually. She noticed a pair of twin girls hug Harvey, and he blushed slightly as he sat between them, looking happy and at home. She looked over at the Gryffindor table, and her eyes found her family again. This time, Lily saw that they had saved two seats in their group, probably meant for her and Hugo.

As the sorting continued, and Pippa and Carter were sorted into Slytherin, Lily scowled slightly as she clapped for her newfound friends. She was beginning to doubt Gryffindor. Did she really want to follow in her family's shadow? James and Freddy were the hilarious pranking duo, Molly and Rose were brainy, Roxanne and Albus were sporty, and Lucy was the over achieving one. Dominique and Victorie were the beautiful ones and Louis was the charming one, always working around the adults to get his own way.

Hugo and Lily were the youngest, and that's all anyone really said about them. Although both of them were old in their year, Hugo being born October 18th, and Lily being born November 12th, they were still known as the young ones among their family group. Lily longed to break out of her families shadow, and she knew, as she watched 'Jordan, Liam' go up to be sorted, there may only be one way.

But was she willing to let her family down to do it?

Lily watched Liam sit nervously under the Sorting Hat. Lily had known Liam for a long time. His father, Lee Jordan, was a friend of her father, and her Uncle George's best friend. He was usually around at the summer party her grandparents held at the Burrow every year, as a reunion for all of the family and their friends.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Lily looked up in shock as Professor Longbottom took the hat off of Liam's head. Liam's face had turned white, and he was shaking slightly. Lily could see him try to hold back tears as he rose from the chair. The Slytherin table cheered loudly, though in a slightly confused manner as Liam went to join them. Lily watched one girl with curly dark hair hug Liam as he sat down. She watched Liam freeze slightly, then relax into her hug.

Lily turned to the Gryffindor table, and searched for his sister, Harriet Jordan. She had her head on the table, and her friends, Ashley Watts and Dominique Weasley, were attempting to comfort her. Liam wasn't looking any better, but at least he wasn't crying. He was just sat next to another first year, a blank look in his eyes,

Lily began to get more nervous as 'Montgomery, Seth' was being sorted. Where would she go, if not Gryffindor? She wasn't patient and kind enough for Hufflepuff, not like Teddy and Victorie. She wasn't as smart as Louis or Lucy for Ravenclaw. That left Slytherin.

But as Seth Montgomery was accepted into Ravenclaw, Lily watched. Would she be accepted into Slytherin? Not just by her family, but by other Slytherin's too? Would James, the biggest Slytherin hater of all, accept Lily in the house of his enemies? Would Albus and Rose accept her in the house of their nemesis, Scorpius Malfoy, and all his friends?

Lily watched 'Peralta, Ezra' smile as he walked towards the Hufflepuff table, and she froze when Professor Longbottom spoke her name.

"Potter, Lily."

The hall went quiet as Lily walked up to the stool, and Professor Longbottom placed the hat on her head.

"Another Potter, eh? You must be the final one."

A voice echoed in her head as Lily jumped slightly at the hats voice, even though she was expecting it.

"Yes. I… I'm the youngest. Not counting Hugo." Lily thought, and the hat responded in her mind.

"Yes, yes. Now, I know just what to do with you."

"SLYTHERIN!"

For a split second, the hall was deadly silent. Lily felt her eyes water slightly, but quickly blinked away the tears. Yes, she had considered this, but the silence was terrifying. She wanted to be different, but the way everyone was looking at her now was making her regret that. James had half risen from his seat, but Lily watched Freddy pull him back down.

That split second of silence lasted until Professor Longbottom took the hat off Lily's head. And suddenly, that was everyone's key to move. Whispers broke out, and Lily shakily rose to her feet.

Suddenly, Lily heard clapping from the Slytherin table. She looked over to see the brown haired girl who had hugged Liam on her feet, cheering for her. Then Liam stood up, and clapped as well, and so did all the other Slytherin first years. Next, a blonde boy next to the brown haired girl rose, and soon enough the entire table was cheering as Lily walked over to them. As soon as she reached the table, the brown haired girl pulled her into a hug. She smelt flowery, a homely, comforting smell. She pulled Lily in-between herself and the blonde boy as the next boy moved up to be sorted.

"Come on Nate." The girl next to Lily murmured, crossing her fingers. The blonde boy on the other side of Lily laughed lightly. "Chill Nixie. Nate's a shoe in for Slytherin." The girl, Nixie, glared at the blonde boy. "Not true Scorpius. We all thought Lily here would be another Gryffindor golden child."

The blonde boy, Scorpius, smirked at Lily, and then focused on the boy who was currently being sorted, Nate.

Lily caught her brother's eye from across the hall. James was smiling at her nervously, but Albus had his glare fixed on Scorpius next to her. Lily shifted towards Nixie when she realised this was Scorpius Malfoy, as in the son of her father's old nemesis and Albus and Rose's own nemesis.

Lily looked back at Nate, the boy on the stool, as the hat reached its decision.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Without missing a beat, Nixie leapt up and began cheering for her younger brother. The Hufflepuff table cheered as Nate joined them, but Nate only had eyes for his sister. Nixie beamed at him as she sat down, giving him the thumbs up. Lily just focused on her plate for the rest of sorting ceremony, only looking up when Hugo was sorted into Gryffindor. All the family jumped up and cheered for him, and Lily just stared at her plate, lost in her thoughts.

"Time to eat Lily. I'm Nixie Rosier, by the way." Nixie placed her knife down and stuck out her hand. Lily shook it, before beginning to spoon peas onto her plate. Nixie continued to introduce herself to the first years, and Lily caught Scorpius rolling his eyes in her peripheral vision.

"You're not a Prefect Nixie and you're not a Puff, stop being so nice." He said, and Nixie laughed. "Just because you don't have a nice bone in your body." She said, and Scorpius smirked as he cut into his meat.

"So, a Potter in Slytherin. What are you going to tell dear old daddy?" The girl opposite her asked, her blonde hair pinned half up half down, curling at the ends. Lily stiffened slightly, knowing this was her make it or break it moment. The other first years, as well as the students around her turned to face her. Lily put on the Potter smirk, and looked straight at the girl.

"I'm going to tell him not to be surprised when Slytherin wins the Quidditch Cup next year." She said confidently, and all the Slytherins who had been listening laughed, and raised their glasses in agreement. Lily cocked an eyebrow at the blonde, who smiled widely at her.

"Good answer. I'm Lizbeth Greengrass-Hostly." She said, and Lily smiled back at her. "I'm Lily." She said simply, and the boy next to Lizbeth scoffed, eyeing Lily. "Not going to use your father's name?" He asked, and Lily tensed again. Honestly, she had been expecting this since she sat down.

"Who are you?" she asked politely.

"Jamie Farley. My dad's Head of Beast Division in the Department of Magical Creatures at the Ministry." He bragged. Lily laughed under her breath. Jamie had recited that as if it was taught to him. Albus did the same thing, as did Molly.

"See, I don't start with Lily Potter because I don't need my dad to get me ahead. I do it myself." She said, and the surrounding Slytherins laughed, but Jamie just looked tense. Lily spotted this, and quickly tried to diffuse the tension. "Besides, if I'm calling in famous relatives, telling people my mum used to play for the Holyhead Harpies usually works. So does 'my uncle owns the joke shop where you spend all your money.'"

It worked. The Slytherins roared with laughter, and this time Jamie joined in. "I have a feeling you'll fit well into Slytherin Lily." Scorpius whispered in her ear.


End file.
